Alan Hinde

{{short description|English cricketer, soldier, local government politician}}

{{Infobox cricketer

| name = Alan Hinde

| image =

| country = England

| fullname = Alan Hinde

| birth_date = 17 May 1876

| birth_place = Bromley, Kent, England

| death_date = {{death date and age|1950|8|24|1876|5|17|df=yes}}

| death_place = Great Cornard, Suffolk, England

| nickname =

| family =

| batting = Unknown

| bowling = Unknown

| role =

| club1 = Europeans

| year1 = 1907/08

| columns = 1

| column1 = First-class

| matches1 = 2

| runs1 = 19

| bat avg1 = 4.75

| 100s/50s1 = –/–

| top score1 = 12

| deliveries1 = 186

| wickets1 = 4

| bowl avg1 = 24.50

| fivefor1 = –

| tenfor1 = –

| best bowling1 = 4/85

| catches/stumpings1 = 1/–

| date = 26 November

| year = 2023

| source = https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/alan-hinde-29348 ESPNcricinfo

}}

Alan Hinde {{postnominal|CMG|JP}} (17 May 1876 – 24 August 1950) was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer. Hinde served in the Royal Artillery with distinction from 1895 to 1923, seeing action in both the Second Boer War and the First World War. On retirement he held the honorary rank of brigadier-general. His military service took him to British India prior to the First World War, where he played first-class cricket for the Europeans cricket team. Following his retirement from military service, Hinde undertook civic duties in West Suffolk, which included a fourteen-year tenure as chairman of Melford Rural District Council.

Early life and military service

The son of Walter Alan Hinde, he was born at Bromley in May 1876. He was educated at Bradfield College, where he represented both the cricket and football teams.{{cite book|title=The Bradfield College Register|date=1935|page=150|edition=7|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.544161/page/150/|language=en}} From there, he proceeded to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich. Hinde graduated into the Royal Artillery (RA) as a second lieutenant in November 1895,{{London Gazette|issue=26679|date=12 November 1895|page=6100}} with promotion to lieutenant following in November 1898.{{London Gazette|issue=27021|date=8 November 1898|page=6511}} He served in the Second Boer War and was involved in operations in the Orange Free State, including the engagements at Polar Grove and Driefontein. During the war, he was afflicted by typhoid, but returned to serve in its remainder and was promoted to captain in September 1901.{{London Gazette|issue=27353|date=10 September 1901|page=5981}} At the conclusion of the conflict, Hinde remained in South Africa with the RA until 1906, before moving with his brigade to Kirkee in British India. There, he made two appearances in first-class cricket for the Europeans cricket team in August and September 1907; both came against the Parsees, with the first coming in the Bombay Tournament at Bombay, with the second coming in the Presidency Match at Poona.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13700/First-Class_Matches.html|title=First-Class Matches played by Alan Hinde|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription}} In these matches, he took 4 wickets (all in a single innings) and scored 19 runs.{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13700/f_Bowling_by_Team.html|title=First-Class Bowling For Each Team by Alan Hinde|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription}}{{cite web|url=https://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/13/13700/f_Batting_by_Team.html|title=First-Class Batting and Fielding For Each Team by Alan Hinde|publisher=CricketArchive|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription}}

World War I and later life

Hinde attended the Staff College in 1911. He was promoted to major in February 1912,{{London Gazette|issue=28581|date=16 February 1912|page=1173}} and was appointed to the staff in October 1913.{{London Gazette|issue=28762|date=7 October 1913|page=6982}} Hinde served during the First World War, being appointed a 2nd Grade General Staff Officer in January 1915,{{London Gazette|issue=29039|date=12 January 1915|page=459|supp=y}} and a temporary lieutenant colonel in June 1915, whilst serving as a 1st Grade Staff Officer.{{London Gazette|issue=29233|date=16 July 1915|page=7041|supp=y}} In January 1917, he was made a brevet colonel and in the latter part of the war he served on the staff of Field Marshal Haig,{{London Gazette|city=Edinburgh|issue=13044|date=26 January 1917|page=229}} and was made a temporary brigadier-general in March 1918.{{London Gazette|issue=30588|date=19 March 1918|page=3556|supp=y}} Engagements he was present at during the war included the Battle of Mons and the First Battle of Ypres. In August 1918 Hinde was decorated by France with the Legion of Honour,{{London Gazette|issue=30848|date=16 August 1918|page=9655|supp=y}} whilst following the war, he was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1919 New Year Honours.{{London Gazette|issue=31097|date=31 December 1918|page=82|supp=y}} He relinquished the temporary rank of brigadier-general in July 1919 and returned to the RA from the staff,{{London Gazette|issue=31426|date=27 June 1919|page=8206|supp=y}}{{London Gazette|issue=31873|date=20 April 1920|page=4672|supp=y}} later gaining the full rank of colonel in January 1921.{{London Gazette|issue=32177|date=31 December 1920|page=12810|supp=y}} He later returned to the staff, serving as a liaison officer in Upper Silesia during the 1921 Upper Silesia plebiscite,{{London Gazette|issue=32734|date=1 August 1922|page=5708}} retiring in March 1923 with the honorary rank of brigadier-general.{{London Gazette|issue=32805|date=13 March 1923|page=1993}}

Hinde lived in Great Cornard in Suffolk following his retirement, where he was active in local politics. He was chairman of the Melford Rural District Council for fourteen years from 1932 to 1946,{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001584/19460328/176/0010|title=The necessary loan|work=Suffolk and Essex Free Press|location=Sudbury, Suffolk|page=10|date=28 March 1946|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} and later stood as a candidate for West Suffolk County Council in 1939, following a vacancy left by the elevation of a sitting councillor to alderman.{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003223/19390401/046/0003|title=W.S. County Council Candidate|work=Newmarket Journal|page=3|date=1 April 1939|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}}{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001584/19390330/208/0005|title=A County Council Candidate|work=Suffolk and Essex Free Press|location=Sudbury, Suffolk|page=5|date=30 March 1939|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} He also served as a justice of the peace for West Suffolk.{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003223/19341222/044/0003|title=Additions to West Suffolk bench|work=Newmarket Journal|page=3|date=22 December 1934|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} With rationing still implemented in post-war Britain, Hinde was the food executive officer for Sudbury and Melford until his retirement from that post in January 1950.{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004964/19500110/108/0007|title=General to retire this month|work=Suffolk and Essex Free Press|location=Sudbury, Suffolk|page=7|date=10 January 1950|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}} He died at Great Cornard in August 1950.{{cite news|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0004964/19500905/078/0004|title=Brigadier General Alan Hinde, C.M.G., J.P., deceased|work=Suffolk and Essex Free Press|location=Sudbury, Suffolk|page=4|date=5 September 1950|access-date=28 November 2023|url-access=subscription|via=British Newspaper Archive}}